To the Horizon
by Elena Parker
Summary: "If I get reincarnated…I wanna become a clam."When Reborn was asked to train Iemitsu's son to be Vongola Decimo,someone should've warned him of his stupidity and the CHAOS that followed his new student and his crazy guardians.(AU:-In which the Straw Hat Pirates were reborn in another world with their memories intact, and in the true Straw-Hats fashion messed the plot beyond repair)
1. Prologue- A Mother's resolve

Ring.

Ring.

 _Click-_

"Iemitsu-! Thank god you've finaly picked up the phone! Tsu-kun-" Nana blurted out hastily with tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Ah, Nana-chan, I'm sorry I'm busy right now. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"But-"

 _-Click._

"….Tsu-kun is in the hospital, undergoing surgery." She mumbled like a broken tape-recorder, with the beeping –that reminded her of her phone call being cut off- as background noise.

Nana stared numbly at the phone in her hands with hurt in her eyes. She once again bit her lower lip as more tears rolled down her cheeks and a sob escaped her lips.

He cut off her call. Why did he _do_ that? She knew he was busy, in fact, she never had called him during his working hours. She only called him now because it was an emergency. Why didn't he listen to her at all? Was his work much more important than their son's health?

She stumbled backwards towards the cool bench that stood in a corner, and stared dazedly at the closed doors of the emergency surgery room her tsu-kun had been rushed to immediately. Honestly, it still felt like a dream to her. Everything had been going well. Iemitsu had visited her and Tsu-kun, and he even invited his Boss! Nana had been surprised to meet his Boos, but she had to admit, Timoteo-san was a nice man – _kind even_. But there was something inside her that made her wary of him. She had dismissed that thought, thinking she was being overly paranoid for no reason.

(That was her first mistake.)

It had been a fun week. She got to spend time with her husband – _who was usually away working overseas_ \- and she got to see her husband and Tsu-kun interact – _they really made an adorable pair_ \- and she even get to know her husband's boss! What more could she want?

And then, just like that, they went back. She had been too busy helping Iemitsu pack and making sure Timoteo-san was enjoying his stay in Japan that she unconsciously neglected Tsu-kun. But since Iemitsu had been playing with Tsu-kun, she had relaxed thinking that he'll keep an eye on their son and happily went on to make dinner.

By the time she checked on him, it was too late. Tsu-kun was burning on a high fever and was breaking out in cold sweat. He was shivering a bit too much, and his breathing was getting weaker. Nana had panicked and called 911right away. Tsuna had immediately brought to surgery. She'd had been trying to reach Iemitsu ever since then.

 _But he isn't answering her calls._

And now, after three hours, when he had finally picked up her call, he didn't even listen to her before he cut off the call.

A lone tear splashed on her clenched fist as she once again tried to call him, hoping he'd pick up and _at least listen to her this once._

… But he didn't.

Footsteps echoed in the empty hallway, and her dull eyes flickered upwards towards the nurse who walked out of the Operation room. In her frantic efforts to reach Iemitsu with her phone calls, she hadn't realized the surgery had already ended. Hastily, standing up, she rushed towards the nurse and grasped her arm urgently.

"Tsu-kun!" she gasped. "How is my Tsu-kun?!"

The nurse gave her a small smile and said, "the operation was successful. Your son is fine now. He'll be kept here for a week for recuperation, and after that you can take him home."

"Oh, thank god….." nana sobbed as she almost collapsed on the bench. Her Tsu-kun is fine. She didn't lose him. He didn't leave her. (Just like her parents did….. just like everyone does- one way or another.) Tsu-kun stayed.

And she'll never take him for granted ever again.

.

.

.

 _Amnesia._

The Doctors said the fever affected Tsu-kun's brain and made him lose his memories. He didn't recognize her. _At all._

And it hurt. It hurt her to know that her Tsu-kun didn't even recognize her at all. She was _this_ close to bursting into tears at that very moment.

 _But she didn't._ Because she wasn't the only one suffering. Tsu-kun was suffering too. As soon as he had woken up, he had screamed and flailed, and demanded to know where his crew was and insisted on being called _"Luffy"_ – _they didn't know what he was talking about, and noted it as his crazy ramblings which might be side effect of the high fever_. In the end, just so he could take his medicine on time, they promised that his _crew_ was alright, and assured him that he'll meet them sooner or later.

And even if he –somewhat- obeyed the doctors orders right now _–"You guys are so boring! Chopper is so much better at this doctor-stuff than you, you know."_ \- and would even smile and laugh with her without any worry, she knew he was suffering deep inside. She knew, because when he thought no one was looking, he would curl his knees closer to himself and stare out of the window in a daze, mumbling names of people under his breath that she was sure he has never even met in his whole life.

Her Tsu-kun wasn't fine. _Not by a long shot._

But that's alright. Because Tsu-kun was her son, and she would never, ever leave him alone – _even if he wasn't her Tsu-kun anymore._

It doesn't matter if he was Sawada Tsunayoshi or Monkey D. Luffy. All it mattered to her is that he was her son, and that she won't have him any other way.


	2. the lost Pirate Captain

_You can't get back what you've lost, What's important now is -What is it that you still have."_

 _—_ **Jimbei**

* * *

 _Sawada Tsunayoshi_ –that is what the people here called him. But wasn't he _Luffy_ though-?

He didn't say it again since that one time the pretty brunette - _who said she was his **Mama**_ (but how can that be? He never had a Mama _before_ , the closest mother-like figure in his life _before_ had actually been Makino –and Dadan to some extent, he guessed.)- burst into tears when he had insisted to be called Luffy. Since then, he had let it be and didn't mind being called Tsuna if it can make the older woman happy.

The woman – _his supposed mother_ \- was _really_ pretty and kind and the food she made could rival Sanji's cooking. He would've asked her to join his crew, if only he knew where he actually was.

Was he lost? Or were _they_ lost? Meh, did they catch Zoro's funny habit of getting lost in strangest places? For the first few days it was quite funny, but when days passed with no news from them, he got worried.

To makes matters worse, the stupid doctors here would _not_ allow him to go search for his crew! They didn't even believe him when he said that all they need to do is get him some meat to eat and he'll be all fine! They're such idiots! Tch, Chopper is so better than these guys! At least he listened to him, even though he usually ended up banging his head against the wall of his office on the Sunny-Go. _Silly Chopper._

To be honest, he was getting worried for them. Were they okay? Why haven't they contacted him yet? Zoro- he can understand. That guy can get lost even while trying to walk straight. But at least the others' should've found him by now. Usually, Nami would be the first one to find him and then drag him back to the ship, berating him for his stupidity- _with Sanji singing "mellorine~ " in the background, Usopp and Chopper sighing at their antics, Robin sun-bathing on Sunny's deck, Franky doing latest adjustments to their ship, Zoro training in his room, and Brook tuning his violin_.

 ***sigh*** he missed them. He really missed them a lot.

"Where are you, everyone?" he whined as he pouted, depressed at the thought that he was here all alone -for some reason. He _hated_ being alone. He wanted his crew, his _friendscompanionsfamilynakama_ back. He didn't like this strange place. He wanted to be back on his ship, with his crew, sailing the Grand Line, looking for One Piece and becoming the King of Pirates. He didn't want to be here. _At all._

Where was _'here'_ anyways? Is this 'Namimori' some island in New World? How did he end up here anyways? He didn't remember….

Frowning in frustration, he clenched his fist, and pulled his cheeks to snap himself out of his trance –only to yelp in pain when it actually _hurt_ when he pulled them. He didn't remember feeling pain from the mere act of pulling is cheeks – _which usually could stretch for even **miles**_ \- ever since he ate the Rubber-Rubber fruit. It didn't make any sense…

He winced as his head throbbed dully. All this thinking is making his head hurt…. where were the others when you need them?

If they didn't find him soon enough, then he'll eat Nana _–"Call me Mama"-_ 's cooking all alone and leave nothing for them.

They'd deserve it anyways, for not finding him soon enough.

* * *

Sawada Nana buttoned up his shirt and tucked it in his shorts, and beamed at the boy standing before her. _Oh, her Tsu-kun looked so handsome in the School Uniform!_ Patting his fluffy brown hair, she smiled cheerily at him and exclaimed, "Tsu-kun, have fun at school, okay?"

"Do I have to go?" Tsuna whined as picked his nose.

Nana laughed and said, "Of course, Tsu-kun. I'm sure you'll have lots of fun there!" When the boy didn't look convinced enough, she added in a conspiratory whisper, "I even made a pirate bento for you."

Tsuna's eyes sparkled as he questioned eagerly, "With lots of meat?"

"Lots, and lots of meat." Nana agreed with a smile, and watched fondly as her adorable child cheered happily.

* * *

Mama lied. School wasn't fun. _At all._

He didn't understand anything that the teachers taught in the class –the words seemed to go over his head, and he wondered what was even the meaning of learning this bullshit which wasn't even going to be even a little helpful in his adventures in finding _One Piece_? It's not like Algebra or History would even help him in fighting bad pirates! The teachers- for some reason would _always_ pick him to answer their questions –why did they even expect he would know anything? Don't they know how _exhausting_ it is for him to use his brains? He gets tired, okay. And he didn't even have Sanji here to supply him more meat to make this thinking stuff easier! Besides, thinking everything through is others' job – _especially Nami or Robin_ \- and not his!

And as if that wasn't enough to make his life hell, the children here were such brats! Always trying to make fun of him _("Oi, Oi, look! It's Dame-Tsuna!"_ ), bully him for some reason or another _("Oi watch where you're going, Dame-Tsuna!" "But you bumped into me first!" "Huh? Are you looking for a fight?!"_ ), looking for him for fights, Tch! He knew he shouldn't get angry at them, he was better now from his past self- _Honest!_ He had promised to himself he would be a better person and would not get angry at every stupid little thing some stupid people did (especially after Shanks lost his arm because of him, and it wouldn't have ended like that if he hadn't been so _gullible_ -)

Contrary to popular belief, _Luffy_ isn't stupid, _per se._ _Luffy_ might not understand much – _about anything, really_ \- but he did understand people much, _much_ better than anyone could. Maybe – _like Robin might say_ -it was a **D**. thing, or maybe it was a ' ** _Luffy_** ' thing – _as most of his crew members_ (especially Nami, Usopp, Chopper and Sanji) _would say while sighing in equal amounts of exasperation and despair_ \- but _Luffy_ understood people the best. Especially their negative emotions. And that is why he could clearly see the way these people gravitated towards him – _as if they were seeking something from him_ \- only to lash out at him when they couldn't find what they were looking for, and it _grated_ his nerves. If it had been anyone else who had to suffer this, Luffy was sure the poor bloke would've run for the hills as soon as possible. Fortunately, it is _Luffy_ who is in this position. Luffy, who had experience in this sort of thing, considering he had to deal with Ace – _who had been such a shitty little brat_ \- in his childhood days.

And that's why Luffy is glad that it's him, and not someone else in this. Because he can deal with this, well, he has prior experience, after all. That's why, Luffy can be **_Tsuna_** , well, until his crew finds him and drags him back to the sea, that is.

(But still, it doesn't change the fact that Tsuna (Luffy) _hated_ school. )

* * *

For the umpteenth time that day, Tsuna stumbled and tripped down his own feet, and ignored the rambunctious laughter of the children around him as they joked about his clumsiness. He just dusted off his shorts, and got up- his lips stretched in a wide grin and just patted the back of the kid who had just tripped him down on purpose.

"Shishishishishishi! That was fun, Panda!" Tsuna grinned at the dark haired boy, whose laughter soon died down at his words and glared at him-

"It's not Panda, Dame-Tsuna! My name is Honda! H-O-N-D-A!" the boy spelled out with gritted teeth, and Tsuna just grinned and shrugged him off.

"Sure, sure, whatever you say, Panda!"

"Why, you-!" His eye twitched in annoyance and fury as he grabbed Tsuna's shirt by his collar and glared. "You really want me to teach you a lesson, huh, dame-Tsuna?"

Tsuna just grinned without a care in the world, and picked his nose lazily and muttered, "Ne, Panda, are you an idiot? Who gets angry over something so stupid?"

Honda's temper flared and he swung his fist towards Tsuna, intending to hit his face, but surprisingly, Tsuna dodged his fist by barely tilting his head to the side. The brunette child was still grinning, though his eyes momentarily flickered with orange as he stared at Honda, making the dark haired boy startled enough to drop his hand from Tsuna's collar.

"Shishishishi, that was fun!" Tsuna exclaimed and patted Honda's back in a friendly way. "Let's do this again sometime, huh, Panda?"

The other boy just snapped out of habit, "It's not Panda, It's Honda!"

"Hai, hai…" Tsuna said cheerily as he walked past the other kids who had been staring at their interaction with curious eyes, and a second later tripped on his own feet and grumbled under his own breath about _"must be because of sea-prism stones…"_ and _"not enough meat…."_

Tsurugi Honda stared at the small back of the brunette that disappeared around the corner and frowned. Was it just his imagination or _dame-Tsuna_ actually appeared a bit terrifying earlier?

* * *

Tsuna didn't return to the Class after the confrontation with panda in third period _("Stop calling me that! My name is H-O-N-D-A, Dame-Tsuna!"_ ). Instead, he grabbed his pirate bentou that Mama had made and took off to the forest just behind Namimori Elementary School. The tall trees, the chirruping of the birds, the gentle breeze…. all these were familiar enough to make him relax. It reminded him of the time he spent with Sabo and Ace with the Mountain Bandits in the forest during his childhood, and the thought of Ace's grumpy self as well as Sabo's teasing made him chuckle a bit. Though the smile on his face immediately wiped off from his face when he remembered what had happened to his big brother a few years ago-

.

.

.

 _bloodbloodbloodblood- thereissomuch **Blood** \- OhGod-_

 **A C E-!**

 _a fist of lava piercing through Ace's back- hothothothothot- It **Burns** -_

 _StayWithMePleasepleasepleasepleaseplease-_

 _Don'tGo-_

 ** _Brother-!_**

.

.

.

(Deep inside him, a minor crack appeared over the ice that suppressed the pure _Sky Flames_ inside it)

.

.

.

Tsuna's steps faltered as he leaned against the trunk of a tree and exhaled hastily. Shaking his head, he tried to shake off the images of his dead brother. It has been years since he had had a panic attack like this. Ace's death still weighed heavily on his soul, but he had learned to move past his death. He still had his crew with him, and the mere thought of his nakama helped him move forward. Besides, Sabo came back ( _Sabo-whom he thought was deaddeaddead **DEAD** -!)_ and promised he wouldn't go like Ace did. So it's fine. Everything's fine. He is fine too.

(He is not.)

Once again, Tsuna shook his head and peered around his surroundings. The sunlight that filtered through the canopy of the forest, reaching the – _mostly_ \- moss-covered ground that covered the forest floor like a green carpet. The leaves swayed in the wind, birds chirruped cheerfully in the trees and small animals like rodents etc scurried away. Tsuna grinned cheerfully, wondering what kind of animals he can find in this forest. Maybe this forest also has a 'Lord of the Forest' like there had been on the Dawn Island. Well, even if there's no Lord here, he can still find some wild animals to get some exercise – _because by Roger his tiny limbs were so **uncoordinated** that it reminded him of his training sessions in childhood to control his devil-fruit that usually ended up with him being laughed at by Ace and Sabo_. Also, he can also hunt them for free meat –that's always a plus point.

And maybe he should even build a tree-house somewhere in the forest. He would even bring his crew here when they come looking for him! He'll mark the tree-house with their Pirate Flag to warn those stupid marines – _they always come poking their noses in his business, Tch!_ \- and then it'd be one of their _SUPER!-secret-and-mysterious_ base! Shishishishishishi, he can't wait to build a treehouse and show it to his friends. They'd love it. Sabo would definitely love it too.

(And so would Ace)

Grinning, he decided to look for a suitable tree to build his treehouse in, and took a step forward-

SMACK!

-only to trip and fall flat headfirst onto the moss-covered ground.

Dammit, he really needed to get this stupid tiny, weak, uncoordinated body to shape. He can't keep tripping everywhere like a _sea-prism stone-cuffed_ Devil Fruit user.

Grumbling under his breath, Tsuna got up and frowned at the new bruise that now marred his knees thanks to his untimely tripping, and sighed. This is going to be a _loooooooooooong_ day.

* * *

 **A few days Later…**

 _"FOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!"_ A loud voice cheered as soon as the front door of the Sawada Residence was slammed open, and walked in a young brunette child with a wide grin that seemed too big for his face.

The older woman cooking in the kitchen paused and beamed happily as the child rushed into the kitchen with saliva literally dripping down his lips.

"Tsu-kun, how was your day?" Sawada Nana asked with a smile as she watched her son quickly sit on his chair, bouncing eagerly on his seat as he waited for the food to be served, ignoring the dull ache inside her when she noticed another set of bruises on her son's knees – _that didn't exactly look like a result of his clumsiness._

"Shishishishi, it was great Kaa-san!" Tsuna grinned as he poked his finger inside his nose. The first few buttons of his school uniform were open, and his shirt was untucked from the shorts. "I went to the forest behind the school and looked around for the _Lord of the Jungle!"_

Nana knew that Tsuna wasn't lying, but he wasn't exactly telling the truth too, per se. His uniform looked a bit dirty, and the tie was missing. His hair was messy, there was mud smeared on his cheeks and nose, and bruises littered his arms. Frankly, he was a mess. But he was still smiling and laughing as if nothing was wrong, at all. And Nana _hated_ that she couldn't do much for her son.

The doctors had assured her that her Tsu-kun will get better. Sure, he _was_ getting better, but his behavior has changed a lot. His memory also hasn't recovered even a bit. She felt as if her son was turning into someone else- someone she didn't recognize. It was as if he was turning into a different person- someone who is _not_ Sawada Tsunayoshi.

(Someone by the name of Monkey D. Luffy)

But it didn't matter, because he was _her_ son. And she had accepted the fact that _Luffy_ and _Tsuna_ is one and the same person. He was her son and she won't have him any other way.

"Ah, that sounds wonderful." Nana patted his head fondly and placed his lunch before him. "Here's your food, Tsu-kun!"

Tsuna's eyes brightened at the sight of the plate filled with food as he cheered loudly, "Yay!" and quickly dug into his meal. Plates after plates of food became victims of his appetite and the child was satisfied only when he ate about thirty pates of food. He burped ungracefully and grinned at his mother. "It was delicious, Kaa-san!"

Nana giggled as she sat on the chair in front of Tsuna's and asked, "So, what did my Tsu-kun do today?"

It had become something of a ritual between them –Nana would prepare Tsuna's food when he comes from school – _usually filled with a LOT of meat_ \- and he would regale his tales of bravery and adventure – _usually exaggerated_ \- to her. She really enjoyed listening to Tsuna's stories. They were so _fun_ to hear.

(The fact that he would sometimes mention names of some strange people fondly in midst of his story telling was something she didn't miss. She also noticed the way his eyes would dull when he remembered that the people he talked about just _weren't here._

And she would just nod and smile and act as if she didn't see the lonely look in his eyes, didn't see the way his shoulders would hunch, didn't see the homesickness he felt. Just like how she never questioned her husband when he would make exaggerating excuses about working as a Construction worker in most ridiculous places. Because Sawada Nana was rather content to look at the world with rose-tinted glasses then to acknowledge her reality that is barely holding itself together.

 _Nana was so, **so** selfish, and sometimes, she **hated** herself for it. _)

Tsuna's eyes brightened as he exclaimed, "I found the perfect tree for my treehouse, Kaa-san! It's so big, and strong, and amazing and I'll make the best treehouse on it!" A wide grin stretched on his lips. "Just wait, Kaa-san, it's gonna be really awesome! Especially when Franky and Usopp help me with it! My treehouse will be the _SUPER_ coolest treehouse _ever!"_ Tsuna said as his eyes sparkled with stars.

Nana didn't comment on the strange names her son spouted off in his rant, and just smiled and nodded at his enthusiasm. Though she couldn't help but pray, and pray, and _pray_ deep inside her heart, wishing those people her son spoke so fondly of be real- just so she could see her son with a _true, loving_ smile on his face.

* * *

Tsuna once again skipped the school –what? School is so _boring_ , okay?- and walked lazily around the streets f Namimori with his tie hanging loosely around his neck, the first few buttons of his shirt unbuttoned, and it's hem tucked loosely around his shorts. He dragged the stupid bag behind him – _Kaa-san would scold him if he left his bag in the school during one of his adventures in the town **again** and he didn't like it when his Kaa-san got upset at him_. Besides, Kaa-san his packed an extra pirate bentou today, so he guessed dragging the school bag around wasn't exactly a loss. But still, it didn't mean he actually liked carrying the stupidly heavy bag filled with books that made no sense to him at all.

Pouting, Tsuna dawdled around lazily on the streets of Namimori, and wondered where he could get an axe so he could cut some wood in the forest for his treehouse. It's not like he could just use his _"Gomu-Gomu no Gattling"_ to chop wood in no time, since for some reason his Devil fruit powers weren't working, at all. Maybe he should be more worried about that, but since thinking about things gave him a huge headache, he just shoved this problem in a corner of his mind and decided to speak about it when his crew finds him. Speaking of which, his friends were really so stupid. How come they're taking so long to find him back? They should've found him by now…. Why weren't they here yet?

He was snapped out of his thoughts by a strong bloodthirsty intent was directed his way, as well as a murderous voice – _with a promise of pain and violence_ \- sounded from behind him, "Herbivore, for loitering around the streets of Namimori during school hours, _I will bite you to death."_

Tsuna turned – _wondering who wanted to fight him **this** time_\- and stiffened as soon as his eyes fell on the raven haired boy standing before him –threateningly holding a pair of tonfas in his hands and glaring at him with grey eyes. Something inside him clicked, and even if the other person had somehow been chibified- _and even gotten rid of the (in)famous green hair,_ the aura around him was still the same.

"Zoro!" Tsuna – _no, **Luffy**_ \- beamed at the other boy.

Hibari Kyoya halted in his warpath and honest-to-god _gaped_ at the brunette in disbelief.

 _"Luffy?!"_

"Shishishishishishi! It is you, huh, Zoro?" _Luffy_ grinned brightly. "You were lost too, weren't you?"


	3. the Aloof Cloud

_"Maybe nothing in this world happens by accident. As everything happens for a reason, our destiny slowly takes form."_

 **- _Rayleigh Silvers_**

* * *

Nana hummed a tune under her breath as she cut some vegetables on the chopping board with practiced ease, and glanced at the clock hanging on the opposite wall from the corner of her eyes. It's still three hours till Tsuna comes home, and asks for food – _well, if he went to school, that is_. Knowing her son and his adventurous soul ( _Aw….._ just like his Papa!) he'd have skipped school for a grand adventure of his.

Nana sighed fondly as she thought of her son. She knew her son had changed, and it _did_ hurt that he didn't remember his memories- _that he didn't remember **her**_ \- but it didn't matter, because she's come to love this new Tsu-kun. He might be a bit slow on uptake, and sometimes a bit dumb, but he's brave, kind and always so full of _life_ and she loves him for it.

Nana jumped, startled, when she heard the sound of the front door slamming open. Wiping her hand with a nearby towel, Nana walked out of the kitchen and followed the sounds of the obnoxious laughter of her adorable Tsu-kun, _and is it her imagination or was she also hearing soft grunts of another voice too? Did her Tsu-kun bring a friend home?_

Oh, that's wonderful!

Giggling cheerfully, Nana made her way to the living room, and watched, bemused, as her son dragged in a grumpy looking ravenette, chattering at a speed of one mile per minute. She chuckled when she saw the fond look of exasperation on the ravenette's head that was carefully hidden beneath his grumpy scowl, as the raven haired child stared at her Tsu-kun.

Nana walked into the living room, and smiled when she saw their heads snap towards her. "Ara," she beamed at the other child. "My Tsu-kun brought a friend home, how exciting!"

"Mama!" Tsuna grinned, and the raven haired boy's eyes widened a bit as he mouthed ' _Mama?!'_ in a daze, and stared at Nana expressionlessly. "This is my friend, Zoro! He's my first mate, ya know!"

The brunette's words startled the other two people in the room.

The raven haired boy's eye twitched as he bonked the brunette's head with his fist, making him cry out in pain. "You moron! You're not supposed to speak about that to anyone! Beside, my name is Hibari Kyoya now!"

Tsuna's eyes watered as he stared at the raven haired boy accusingly and whined, "Zoro, you're a meanie!"

Grey eyes momentarily glanced at her, and then fell back on the brunette child. He then hissed under his breath, _"I told you to not call me that!"_

Nana stared at the two children arguing in her living room dazedly, unable to believe her eyes. _Zoro…_ this is what Tsu-kun called the other child right? Wasn't this name what her son had blubbered along with some other strange names in his sleep when he had been having a particularly frightening nightmare some weeks ago? She had thought those were just some imaginary names (of people who didn't even existed…) But… they're real.

Tsu-kun –No….. _Luffy's_ friends were **_real._**

Hibari Kyoya was startled in midst of his argument between him and Lu- _Tsuna_ , when a pair of dainty – _weak_ \- arms engulfed him in a hug, and the only thing stopping him from reacting like a carnivore, and bashing the head of the assailant with his tonfas was the steely look his **_Captain_** was pinning him with. A moment later, he realized why his Captain stopped him from reacting, because it turns out that the person who had suddenly attacked him with a hug happened to be his Captain's new mother.

Kyoya tensed as his dark jacket got damp with tears, as Tsuna's mother choked out, "Thank you…."

He blinked and stared at her unsurely as she loosened her arms and he immediately distanced himself from her by stepping a few steps backwards such that he was standing at an arm's length from her. Unfortunately, he couldn't flee, since she still had a hand over his shoulder. "Why….?" He whispered uncertainly, unable to imagine why she would thank him.

She gave him a bright smile, and even with her red rimmed eyes and cheeks dripping with tears, she still looked beautiful. "Tsu-kun spoke about you, you know." She said with a knowing look in her eyes, and he suddenly realized that she _knew_ , and she _understood_. "But I thought you weren't real….." She trailed off uncertainly. "-and it hurt to know that my Tsu-kun will always mourn your absence and would always be _alone_. But it turns out, he isn't alone, after all."

"So," She smiled at him gratefully and whispered, "Thank you… Thank you for being real, _Zoro-kun_."

.

.

.

 _"You know Captain, you're really lucky to have that woman as your mother."_

 _"Shishishishishishi, I know right!"_

~O~

* * *

From the time he could walk, Hibari Kyoya was told that strength was everything. With his parents being the leaders of an especially strong Yakuza family that had ties with many underground societies, it really wasn't surprising that they had been training their only son – _as well as heir_ \- from a very young age, to be the strongest. If it had been any other child, he/she would've long broken under their harsh and brutal parenting. But Kyoya was different. He understood what they were trying to do –and even _persevered_ through their cruel training.

It's not that he agreed with his parent's words that only strong are capable, and weak are just meant to be squashed under strong people like bugs. He understood strength much, _much_ better than them – _dreams of a **Captain** with intelligence like that of a teacup _(which means, none at all) _but with conviction to protect his loves ones, and the strength to back up that conviction_ \- was enough to let him go through the day-to-day training -which would've driven anyone to insanity, but not him.

Sometimes, he wondered if he was really crazy, and everything he dreamed – _especially about a group of pirates with penchant to trouble like he'd never seen before, and their acts of defying reality and going against the world for their nakama_ \- was just that- a dream, and not real. But then he'd smack his own face and grab his tonfas for another brutal training session. it doesn't matter if it's real or not. He'd just keep those dreams – _memories?_ \- closer to his heart, and keep them a secret. They'd be something he cherished, something he'd protect with everything he had.

(And so, the Purple Flames awakened.)

At the age of four, he left his home and came to Namimori. The way the town – _and it's people- showered him with kindness and love_ –that he had been craving for the last four years – _ever since he had been born_ \- warmed his heart. Sure, there were some who scolded him for his excessive violence – _that one policeman who would smack his head in exasperation and would tell him to enjoy his childhood than to catch thugs on his own and beat them up_ \- but there were also those who would welcome him with a warm smile- _like that old woman from the grocery store who patted his head kindly and would always thrust an extra packet of candy whenever he goes there for grocery shopping_ \- as well as those who found him good enough to follow with loyalty and conviction – _like Kusakabe Tetsuya who saw his strength and kindness hiding underneath the tough exterior of violence and cold attitude_. Namimori gave him so, so much, that he couldn't help but wish to return it's favor. There wasn't much he could give to Namimori and it's lovely citizens, that's why, he decided to protect this town with everything he had. And so, Namimori became another thing that he regarded as _his._

(And that's how the Cloud found it's territory.)

He was fine now, better than he has been in years, actually. But….. there were times when he glanced at mirror, expecting the reflection of moss-green hair and sun-burnt skin of an adult, and not the body of a raven haired child with pale skin and grey eyes; Times when he stared at the tonfas with narrowed eyes, instinctively feeling that they didn't feel as comfortable in his hands as swords did – _like the way his hands used to hold **Wado Ichimonji** with so much familiarity_…. times when he'd get annoyed by something and turn around to retort at some imaginary comment – _usually about the shitty love-cook and the money-obsessive navigator_ \- only to falter when he realized that there was no one around him- that he was all alone. And even without knowing if these visions were real, or not, he'd still feel hurt, because _TheyWeren'tHere_ \- and _WhyAren'tTheyHere_ -

He knew he had to move on. He wasn't _Zoro_ anymore, he was now Hibari Kyoya- he understood that very well. But, it was hard…. so, _so_ hard… Even if he could forget that he had once been _Zoro_ , he just couldn't forget his herbivorous Captain as well as his fellow crew-members. Soon, he realized that he missed them….. he missed them a lot….. And just when when he was about to give up on them and finally embrace his life as Hibari Kyoya-

He stumbled upon his _Captain_ and he finally was reassured that _maybe_ , just maybe, his dreams hadn't been dreams- _but were in fact **memories** of a person he had once been from a time long gone_\- and that he wasn't the only one lost this time.

Now, it's only a matter of time until they're all together – _because knowing those idiots, they'd definitely find their way to their Captain, unless Luffy crashes into their lives once again – **literally that is.**_

(And so the Cloud finally belonged…)

* * *

"Ne, Hibari….." Tsuna whined as he picked his nose. "Where are the others?!"

Hibari Kyoya's eye twitched as he watched the manner-less brunette pick his nose, and he grumbled under his breath, "At least he remembered to call me by my new name…" he then cleared his throat and spoke a bit loudly, "I don't know where they are… For all I know, they might be lost again…"

Tsuna stared at him as if he were a idiot – _and that kind of look coming from his Captain only made Hibari even more annoyed_ –and a bit amused. "You're the one who gets lost, not them. They're not as hopeless as you, you know."

Kyoya glared at him and bonked his head with a tonfa, making him cry out in pain. "Well, if they're as good as you say, then they'll find their way to you sooner or later. Stop worrying herbivore, it doesn't suit you."

"I'm not a herbivore." Tsuna pouted. "Did you forget? I like meat."

"As if I could forget that even if I tried to." Kyoya deadpanned.

The two of them walked in companionable silence. A few minutes later, the silence was broken by the brunette-

"Ne, _Zoro_ ," _Luffy_ asked in a quiet tone, his doe-like eyes flashed amber for a moment. "We'll find them, right?"

 _Zoro_ 's lips quirked upwards - _his grey eyes glimmering purple_ \- as he spoke, "Of course we will, _Captain."_


	4. the Blinding Sun

_"You can spill drinks on me, even spit on me. I'll just laugh about it. But if you dare to hurt my friends... I WON'T FORGIVE YOU!"_

 **~Shanks**

~O~

As soon as the bell rang –signaling that it was lunchtime, a certain ravenette –who had been enjoying a nap on the roof of Namimori Elementary school, was startled awake by the shout of one obnoxious brunette.

"HIBARI!" Tsuna yelled as he slammed open the door of the rooftop, and beamed at the raven haired boy who glared at him for disturbing his nap. "Kaa-san sent bento for both of us!"

"Herbivore, _get lost."_ Kyoya grumbled as he turned and tried to doze off back to sleep –but to no avail, since a certain someone decided to pester him.

Tsuna poked Hibari Kyoya's cheeks and said, "You're so rude, Hibari! Kaa-san sent bento, you know. _Pirate bento!_ " he shook the ravenette awake. "Get up, get up, get up!~"

A vein throbbed over Hibari Kyoya's forehead, and he glared at Tsuna. "Herbivore," he growled threateningly as he grabbed his tonfas, and grinned at Tsuna with bloodthirst, "for disturbing my nap _, I'll bite you to death!"_

Tsuna grinned as he waved at his friend. "Catch me if you can then, Hibari." Saying this, he took off running – _not before grabbing the lunch boxes, at least_.

Hibari smirked, "Oh, it's _so_ on, herbivore."

And so, the chase began.

(The chase didn't last long, and in the end, it was still Tsuna who was bitten to death since Kyoya being the cheater he is, used his loyal underlings to catch Tsuna –and no, Tsuna's defeat had nothing to do with the fact that he wasn't used to this weak, uncoordinated body. Nope, not at all.)

* * *

"I'm _hungry….."_ Tsuna whined pathetically as he let his head smack on the wooden surface of his desk, wincing as his already bruised face – _what with a darkly bruised left eye, an almost -broken nose, and huge bumps on his head curtesy of being bitten to death by Hibari_ \- hurt a bit. He pouted. After beating him to his heart's satisfaction, Kyoya even confiscated the pirate bento his mother made for them, leaving him hungry. _What a meanie_. And his classmates being the asshole-ish brats they were making fun of him.

His – _now black and purple_ -bruised eye jolted once again from pain, making him flinch. Damn this body really isn't even used to some light work-out – _which was what it had really been, because if_ _ **Hibari**_ _had had gotten serious, Tsuna would've ended up with a room booked at hospital in his name for months –especially with this kind of clumsy body_ \- he dreaded to think of the utter torturous training he'd have to go through to get back in shape. He can't afford to slack off, especially not now. He needed to get stronger – _for the sake of his nakama whose whereabouts were unknown for now._

He tried not to think about the –predictable- conclusion this situation was turning out to be. He wasn't stupid- he might not understand the ungodly amount of calculation Nami used to do in a matter of moments while navigating, but there were things that he just _instinctively_ understood. Like how he and _Zoro_ were in different bodies – _in the bodies of weak, innocent_ _ **children….**_ Like he only remembered about _Before_ a few months ago, but _Zo-_ _ **Hibari**_ knew about it since he was an infant… Like how his body wasn't rubber anymore – _it wasn't his…_ Like how Hibari would often ruefully stare at his hands, wishing he was holding swords instead of a pair of tonfas….. Like how no one here talked about strange fruits, and pirates and marines- _about Yonko, or Shichibukai, or_ _ **One Piece**_ _…_

It could be that some Devil Fruit User messing with their minds for some ungodly reason – _there are always people stupid enough who liked to pick a fight with them for stupid reasons_ \- but….. something inside him told him that it wasn't the case- that this was all real and not the result of some strange brainwashing….. This feeling….. This _instinct_ ….. It was similar to the way his Haki – _especially Conqueror's_ \- felt to him, but, different.

(Even beneath the cold, timeless ice, the Sky flames still tried their best to aid their user in every possible way. And so the very _essence_ of the Flames –the very _instinct_ , which some people know by the name of **_'Hyper-Intuition'_** seeped through the cracks in the ice that sealed away the Flames and whispered conspiratorially in their user's ears, and helped him the best way they could.)

That means, he isn't in Grand-line anymore. Nor anywhere even remotely near the blues. He was far, far away from home, and that might even mean that there is no **_One Piece_** here.

 _He can't be the Pirate King anymore._

.

.

.

 _Nononononononono-_

 _That can't be-_

 _Impossible-_

 _It'saLie- Right?_

 _OfCourseItis-_

 _Don't think about it._

A straw hat… A grin….. A promise….

 _I'msorryI'msorryI'mSoSoSorry-_

 **S-**

 _I'mSorry-_

.

.

.

His breathing quickened, dark spots danced before his eyes, and he could feel the walls of the classroom closing in on him-

He wanted to flip the desk in fury, and jump off the window of the Classroom, and wander out in open fields, underneath the _Sky_ -

( _He wanted to be back on Sunny-Go, staring at the horizon in the distance as the bottom of his ship was rocked by the waves of the vast, endless sea_.)

.

.

.

He was snapped out of his – _dark_ \- thoughts by the smell of food right underneath his nose, as well as the sound of someone's voice .

"Tsuna-kun," A cheerful voice said, "Your tummy has been making these really strange sounds, so I thought you must be hungry, right?"

Tsuna blinked and focused his gaze on his benefactor, who happens to be an orange haired girl around his age – _with wide doe-like chocolate brown eyes_ (that flashed with concern for **him** ) _and a bright grin_. Tsuna blinked once again and glanced down at the source of the absolutely delicious smell, and found himself staring at an onigiri –that was being held by the girl.

She gently shoved the rice-ball in his hands and smiled, "I brought extra food with me, and I guess Kaa-san won't mind if I share my food with others. So here." She then rubbed the back of her head – _though her eyes glimmered with worry_ \- and said sheepishly, "So, don't go hungry, okay?" _'Don't be sad'_ was left unsaid.

Tsuna stared at this strange girl who offered him food – _and comfort, when his world suddenly came crashing down_ \- out of the goodness of her heart, and then grinned brightly at her.

(His dream may have been shattered to pieces, but he still has his friends. And _that_ , is enough for him.)

"Shishishishishishi, thanks!" He said and gobbled down the onigiri in his hands, "Uwaah-! It's so tasty!"

The girl beamed. "I'm glad."

Tsuna exclaimed, "Thanks for the food. You're really nice, you know!" he then pointed at himself and introduced himself with a wide grin, "I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi."

"My name is Sasagawa Kyoko." the girl smiled kindly and bowed to him in greeting. "Nice to meet you, Tsuna-kun."

* * *

A fine Saturday morning Hibari Kyoya woke up with his sixth sense tingling –which they usually only did **Before** when his captain was up to something really moronic. Sighing in resignation, he quickly got changed into his Disciplinary Committee uniform – _for an annoying loudmouth herbivore, the girl across the street –for all her otaku-ness and cosplaying madness- was really good at designing clothes even at such a young age_ \- and made his way to Sawada Household. It is better to keep an eye on his herbivorous Captain as early as he can before the dumb-ass is once again on his self-imposed quest of stupidity.

However, when he reached the Sawada Household, he only found Tsuna's mother –who was busy doing laundry.

"Sawada-san." He nodded at the other woman.

"Ah, hello Hibari-kun." Nana greeted him with a smile.

"Where's the herbivore?" He asked the older woman.

Nana sighed and said dazedly, "Ah, Tsu-kun is off on another adventure –just like his Papa!" Kyoya had a foreboding feeling about this. "He said something about defeating the Lord of the jungle and building a base for his crew in the jungle…?"

Kyoya paled at her words. _The rubber-brained idiot said what now-?_

* * *

Kyoya blanched as he stared at the bundles of finely cut wood sitting innocently on the ground. He then looked at the wood stumps scattered around the forest floor – _that once had been tall, towering trees, but were now reduced to mere stumps in just a few hours_ \- and then stared at the brunette boy singing 'Bink's sake' in a way off-key tone, while he swung his axe to cut _another_ tree.

Kyoya's eye twitched and he hissed out, "What the fuck do you think you're doing, herbivore?"

Tsuna, startled by Kyoya's sudden appearance- dropped the axe _right on his toes_ , and then or the next five minutes Kyoya find himself being the unfortunate spectator of one Sawada Tsunayoshi attempting a bad mimicry of a jumping monkey – _pfft, more like he was screaming and jumping around on one foot, while grabbing the other with his hands_.

When the pain in his foot finally went down to a bearable level, Tsuna turned towards the other boy and beamed at him. "Oh, it's you, Hibari!" he said cheerily. "You scared me for a moment with your sudden entrance." He then grinned and said, "Good timing, by the way, I really need more people to help me out with this." He then once gain picked up the axe he had dropped a moment ago, and continued on, "I'm making a tree-house! We can use it as a base of operations when others are here too! Shihishishishi~" He then frowned and eyed the axe skeptically as he mumbled, "Though it is harder to cut trees here than it was **_Before_**. Man, I didn't even know that an axe could be this heavy!"

Kyoya's eye twitched as he hissed under his breath, "You cut all this wood from the trees of Namimori's forest?"

Tsuna nodded dumbly as he picked his nose and said, "Yeah, why?"

Kyoya glowered at him, "For vandalizing Namimori's environment, I'll bite you to death!"

"Wait, No-!"

(A few minutes later….)

Tsuna moaned pathetically as he sat cross-legged on the ground sporting a number of bruises, black-eye, and round bumps on his head.

"Do _not_ vandalize Namimori's property for your dumb-ass ideas, herbivore." Kyoya snapped at him.

 _"_ _I'm sowwy…"_ Tsuna said glumly. "I will not cut trees of this forest. Can I cut trees around the school then?"

Kyoya'e eye twitched as he bonked his head with a tonfa – _making him cry out in pain_ \- and he exclaimed, "What did I just tell you, you moron?!"

Tsuna scratched the back of his head and said brightly, "To not cut trees around this forest, right? Don't worry Hibari, next time I'll cut the wood from the trees around the school-" he then tapped his chin and said thoughtfully. "Or the park….. or maybe the backyard of my house….."

THWACK!

Tsuna blinked and stared at Hibari as he smacked his head against a tree repeatedly and grinned, "Shishishishi! Hibari, are you an idiot? Your head will hurt if you do that!"

Hibari just kept thwacking his head against the tree and mumbled under his breath, "Where the fuck is that money obsessed witch when you need her to knock some sense into this idiot?"

(Somewhere in Italy, a certain miser sneezed.)

* * *

Everyone thought Kyoko was just a pretty face who was gullible enough to believe anything anyone told her. She was dumb, they said. Just another pretty face with no brains, they said.

She knew she shouldn't care what anyone says about her –because it shouldn't matter what they say, those people aren't important enough for her to worry about them. Besides, her Tou-san, Kaa-san, Onii-chan and Hana-chan didn't think she was dumb. They said she was just too kind to others and always looked for the good in everyone. That it isn't her fault that people are stupid enough to not see the her kindness, and instead talk bad about her.

But sometimes, she thought that maybe, they were right. those insignificant people –who always said she's dumb, and gullible and nothing but a pretty face- were right. Because if not, then why would she be in this mess?

During lunchtime, a few middle School kids came to her and told her that her Onii-chan got hurt and sent them to pick her up. She believed them. They even said not to tell Hana-chan or her teacher because her Onii-chan didn't want anyone to worry. she believed every single lie that came from their mouths.

And then they brought her to some abandoned park near some construction site, and jeered how dumb she was, and how they lied to her just so they could mess with her Onii-chan and beat him up. And her Onii-chan will _definitely_ come here, because Kyoko was here, and if he doesn't come in time, then Kyoko might get hurt-!

But she didn't want her Onii-chan to get hurt! Her Onii-chan may be loud, and not that much smart, but he doesn't deserve to beaten by older children just because they don't like him!

Hearing their jeers and taunts, Kyoko didn't think much before she reacted- she bit the arm of an older boy standing before him –making him howl in pain, and while they were startled, she _ran_. She didn't know where she'd go –she didn't recognize this part of Namimori, but she knew she can't stay there with those mean kids. She could get hurt –or worse, her Onii-chan could get hurt because of them. She didn't want that….

So, she ran, and ran. And ran.

Kyoko was scared. Really, _really_ scared. Where should she go? What should she do? She didn't know anyone here whom she could ask for help! Heck she didn't even know where she actually was! All she knew were her classmates, or her teachers and a few friends of her parents. why would anyone be here? It was still school time, the kids and teachers won't be out here –especially if Hibari-san has a say in it. Her parents and their friends were in their workplaces.

In this remote part of Namimori, who would help her?

Because of her eyes watering with tears, Kyoko didn't see the other person, before she bumped into them, and the both of them were knocked down due to their collision -making the bundle of wood the other person was carrying get scattered around them.

"Oh man! Hibari will kick my ass if he sees me loitering around Namimori!" the other person said with a pout as they started collecting the scattered wooden sticks.

Kyoko blinked away her tears and stared at the person she had bumped into with flabbergast. "Tsuna-kun?"

The brunette paused while grabbing wooden sticks and looked up at her. "Oh hey!" he grinned at her, "You're the Onigiri girl!" His brows furrowed as he asked, puzzled, "Why are you here, though? Isn't it school-time?"

"I-"

 _"_ _Found ya!"_

Kyoko froze, and slowly turned around to see the older kids –bullies- have now caught up with her. The five of them glowered at her as they surrounded her.

"Ah, so you were playing Hide-and-seeks with your friends, huh?" Tsuna nodded sagely as he picked his nose. Uwah~ must be nice to have friends to spend fun time with!" His eyes glinted as he said eagerly, "ne, when my friends find me – _from wherever they're lost_ \- join us for a fun game, okay? Or maybe a for a trip! Or an adventure! Shishishishi, that'll be fun!"

"No, I-" Kyoko tried to tell him that no, it isn't what he though this is. These people weren't her friends. _They were-_

A hand slung over her shoulder, and a dark haired kid crouched down next to her and said with a sharp smile to Tsuna, "Yeah, sure kid. We'll play with you next time, okay?" He then tightened his hold on Kyoko's shoulder, making her flinch. " _Right_ , Kyoko-chan?" He said to her warningly.

 _-the ones who'll hurt me and my Onii-chan._

His fingers dug into the skin of her shoulder blades, and she winced. Her eyes watered and she couldn't help but flinch in pain. She wanted to deny him, but- but he was threatening her. Besides, even if she asked for her, how would _Tsuna-kun_ help her? She had heard rumors of how her classmate is always bullied, and he doesn't do anything about it. She knew Tsuna-kun is a really nice person, and just because he can't fight doesn't mean others should make fun of him or bully him. Tsuna-kun can't even fight with hi own bullies, how would he help her against _older_ kids?

No…. she can't drag Tsuna-kun into this. How can she drag such a nice person like him into her mess?

"Kyoko-chan, I asked you something." His fingernails dug deeper into her shoulder blade, making her whimper in pain.

"Ne, you're hurting her." Tsuna's voice, for some reason, sounded _ominous_. She blinked and then glanced at Tsuna, and was startled to find tsuna's fluffy, brown bangs hovering over his eyes, shadowing them ominously. He then tilted his head and said in a tone that was strangely devoid of his usual cheeriness. "You're her friends right? Friends don't hurt their friends."

"What does it have to do with you, huh?" Another boy snapped at him.

Tsuna's bangs parted a bit, revealing his right eye a bit, and Kyoko found her staring dazedly at his eye that flashed _amber_. "Stop hurting her, or I'll kick your ass." He announced.

His comment startled a laugh out of the five boys. "Pfft, a puny kid like you will kick our ass?" One of the boys snickered.

"What an idiot!"

"Hey kid, are you high on something?"

"Let's beat him up and show him that he shouldn't mess with us."

"Yeah!"

The dark haired boy next to her grabbed her by her hair, and pulled them, making her cry out a bit in pain. "Hey, we're not done with her. We still have to get Ryohei for-" he couldn't complete his statement, since the next second he was sent flying by Tsuna's fist, who just materialized before him – _and is it her imagination, or was his fist glowing_ _ **Orange?**_

The other four boys –as well as Kyoko- stared flabbergasted, to and fro between the person shaped dent the boy had carved in the opposite wall of the street, and the six year old boy –with hilariously fluffy hair- glaring at the older kids with eyes blazing orange.

"I told you, " Tsuna -no, _Luffy_ \- said as he glowered at them. "Don't hurt her, or _I'll kick your ass."_

The rest, they say, is history.

* * *

The gentle rays of the evening sun fell over them, warming them. Kyoko hesitantly walked next to Tsuna –who whistled a strange tune under his breath and walked while holding the bundle of wooden sticks. Her eyes would glance at him from time to time – _he was so slim, where did he keep that much strength in those puny limbs of his? How did he beat up kids who were almost a decade older than him with just his_ _ **weak**_ _fists?!_ \- and she would often open her mouth to say something – _to say Thank you? Or to ask why did her help her? Or to just ask why did he let himself get beaten by his bullies if he was so powerful?_ \- but would soon close her mouth, unsure if she should say something or not.

In the end, she blurted out-

"Why….?" She asked. "Why did you help me, Tsuna-kun?"

Tsuna paused and turned his head towards her – _and her breathing hitched when she saw how the sunlight fell over his_ _ **brown**_ _eyes just right to make it seem as if they were glowing a brilliant shade of orange_ \- and he said in a quizzical tone, "What are you talking about? Aren't we friends?"

And that, was the start of a beautiful friendship between Sasagawa Kyoko and Sawada Tsunayoshi.

* * *

 ** _EXTRA 1-_**

 _"_ _By the way Tsuna-kun, what is all this wood for?"_

 _"_ _Shishishishi~ It's for my tree-house! Once I complete building it, it'll be the secret base for me and my friends!"_

*giggles* _"Sounds interesting, Tsuna-kun!"_

* * *

 _ **EXTRA 2-**_

The next morning, Tsuna found himself staring one Sasagawa Ryohei at the crack of dawn.

"Sawada! I heard you EXTREMELY helped Kyoko?"

Tsuna blinked and stared at the grey haired older boy before him. _Why did this guy feel really familiar to him?_ Shaking his head, he asked the older boy, "Huh, what?"

"Kyoya said you beat up those older students who had been pestering her!" Ryohei exclaimed in his usual exuberant tone.

"Oh, that? That's nothing." Tsuna said with a shrug. "She's my friend, so, of course I helped her."

Ryohei's grey eyes bore into his, as if searching for something. Finally, he seemed to have found what he was looking for, since he smiled – _a smile so bright that it could rival even the brightness of the sun_ \- and exclaimed, "I knew you were an EXTREME guy, Sawada! As expected of my Captain!"

Tsuna froze. "Uh- what?"

The older boy rolled his eyes fondly and said, "Do you want me to call you Luffy now, **_Captain_**?"

the brunette's eyes flashed orange – _like brightly burning amber_ \- and a moment later, _Luffy_ gave the older boy a steely look as he commanded, "Who are you?"

Ryohei smiled ruefully. "I am-"

* * *

"Hibari! Look, guess whom did I find this time?!"

*mumbles in a bored tone and sips tea calmly*"Whom?"

"I found _Thousand Sunny-Go!_ And guess what? He's **_human!"_**

 _"_ _Pfft-!"_ *spills tea all over the paperwork, _"Say what now?"_


	5. AUTHOR's NOTE

I don't usually do an author's note separately, but I didn't have any choice this time. Look, I know you guys like my story and support it, nothing makes me happier to see you guys not abandon my stories even with my irregular updating schedules. Seriously, I really, **really** appreciate your love and support.

But no matter how much you appreciate my stories, that _**does not**_ give you the right to re-post my stories or it's translation works _**without my explicit permission!**_ I know you love my stories, and some of you might even feel like spreading the love, but don't do that at the expense of my dignity as the original author of these stories! C'mon guys, if you wanna do something like that, at least have the decency to contact me first!

Something like that has happened twice now, and for me it's two times too many. I'm drawing a line here. I've been very amicable till now, but if I get a hint of even one more incident like that, I'm going to take drastic actions. If something like this happens again, **I'll drop ALL of my stories** -including the ones on other sites.

This isn't just a threat, this is an ultimatum. As the original author, I have the right to put forth my terms. I don't have any issues with any works inspired from my stories ('Coz even I'd admit that most of my stories have been inspired from other awesome pieces of work) but the moment you repost my stories or it's translated works on another site word-to-word - _and that too, WITHOUT MY PERMISSION_ , you cross the line. So the next time you think of doing something like that? Talk to me first. Get my Permission. I'm up for negotiations.

~O~

To **HorizonOneNightStar** and **Digital Garbage** , you guys have my utmost gratitude. It is only thanks to your efforts that I was able to get wind of this incident. I have a request for my other readers as well- if you come across any of my works on other sites under someone else's name, then please inform me about it!

I have accounts on other sites as well. You can contact me there too, if you want-

 _Archive of our Own_ : Elena_Parker

 _Wattpad ID:_ Elena Parker UpcominDeath

 _Webnovel ID_ : Lazy_Chocopie

.

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 **Now** I'd like to wrap up this author's note with some good news- I've been working on my stories these past few months, and I think I'd most probably be able to update a new chapter in some of them next week.

 _So, stay tuned~_


	6. the King's Ship

**A/N:-** I apologize for nor updating when I had promised to do so. However, I hope you find in your generous hearts to forgive the last two weeks had been painful for me. And I mean that in literal sense.

(Well….. I got myself ill. Thankfully, it's not Corona. But it was still pretty painful.)

On another note, I think you all deserve another serious apology from me. Last time I had been too rash on making my point that I stepped out of line. I'm sorry for that. I will of course delete my Note (or atleast edit it) and make my points clear. Now, let's get a few things clear-

 _ **One**_ \- I won't drop my stories as long as I get the muse to write them. And even if I do, I didn't say I'll delete them. So, the pranksters who want to repost my work just for the heck of it are going to get a nasty surprise~

 _ **Two**_ \- My aim for posting the previous note was to make many of my readers aware of the situation I was facing, so that they could help me keep an eye out for any unaware reposts. After all, I am but one person, and there might be places or sites I would be unaware of. That's why I asked for your help.

 _ **Three**_ \- I've said this in my previous note and I'll repeat that again- If anyone out there wants to do a repost or translation of any of my work then contact me first. And if you can't do that then at least mention my name or link on the stories. That's the least you could do!

 _ **Four**_ \- Anonymous Artz and shinku50 have my permission for their respective repost and translation of my work. Please don't harass them from now on.

Like I'd said earlier, I am not against reposting my work on other sites, if you get my permission first. For those who think, and I quote "Fancy seeing a fanfiction writer talking about Copyright." Then I _dare_ you to say that to any other writer on this site. If they accept your remarks as true, then well… just say they're awfully generous. In that case, I don't mind being called narrow minded or whatever else you deem fit. I've given my heart and soul into writing these stories, so of course I'd get angry when someone else take away my work! Fanfiction means a fan creating a fiction out of the stories they admire, it does not mean that they're trying to threaten the original writers with copyrights. If you have that much problem with Fanfiction then why don't you stop reading them altogether?

…..Sigh, Look guys, I don't want any more conflicts on this topic. Let's just end this discussion here. If you want to help me to keep an eye out for any reposts of my work, then you have my gratitude. If not, then it's not like I'm forcing you or anything. You can just ignore this issue altogether.

 **P.S.** Someone reprimanded me for wasting words -and a whole chapter- on Author's Note and asked me to be a proper author and stop wasting Word Count on silly notes. I guess they do have a point since I do have a habit of kinda monologuing and digressing on the Authors notes. _*Laughs sheepishly*_ So I guess I'll stop posting Author's Note from now on. I'm also going to delete my previous ones, whenever I get the time for them.

 **With that said, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and don't forget to Review~**

* * *

" _Loneliness is more painful than being hurt"_ _  
― Eiichiro Oda_

* * *

Sasagawa Ryohei had always been a hardworking person. Well, a bit _too_ hard working actually, if one asked anyone else's opinion. For, you see, Ryohei was never one to shy away from any sort of work. He would challenge himself to the EXTREME limits of any ordinary person, and would try to break those limits into pieces by creating bafflingly high records. If any ordinary person would be able to run an average of two miles in fifteen minutes max, Ryohei would strive to complete that goal in mere four minutes; If someone could eat only three onigiris for lunch, he would eat ten. It was as if the concept of _human_ limits did not apply to him at all. Whatever he did, he did it with his dying will. No one understood why Ryohei would always challenge himself to such extent and test the limits of his human body and would just chalk it up to his EXTREME-ness.

It was correct to assume that there really was no one who could understand Ryohei. After all, what could he tell them? That he wanted to test himself to the EXTREME to find if he really was human and not some ship ( _or some klaubertman_ )? That he had been haunted by dreams – _nightmares_ \- of being made of wood and metal sheets kept together by iron nails and not flesh and blood? Of being the honorary ship of a bunch of crazy – _but lovable_ \- pirates with various strange – _but definitely EXTREME_ \- mechanisms fixed in his shiply body ( _is that even a word?!_ ) by some strange cyborg whom he happened to be the brainchild of? Was he really Kyoko's EXTREME brother- or the fascinatingly amazing ship that had been created for the next King of Pirates? Was he Sasagawa Ryohei or Strawhat Pirates' beloved _Sunny-Go_?

 _He truly did not know…._

…..Which was what led to his EXTREME excursions in his toddler days, where he would often eagerly do EXTREMELY suicidal – _more like stupid_ \- stunts to figure out if he really was made of flesh and blood or just wood. Because if he was just a bundle of wood held together by metal nails and beams, then he could be fixed after being broken, right? That perverted cyborg – _what was his name again? Franky?_ \- would just piece him together if he get broken. He is his creator after all. But if he's a fleshling – _wait, the right word is human, right?_ \- no one would be able to fix his broken body, especially when it gets ripped apart into pieces _-…..unless you're Chopper, because according to his supposed crewmates, Chopper is the best doctor in the world._ That in itself would tell him if his dreams are true or not. This kind of morbid thinking was what led to the reckless decisions Ryohei made in his toddler years – _like jumping off the stairs, sitting on the roller coaster ride_ _ **without**_ _holding onto the safety bar, skipping over the jungle gym in reckless abandon, trying to cross the road without looking on both sides_ (with only an excuse that "a man never turns!")- and in the end his parents just threw their hands up in exasperation and decided that their firstborn child was a bit loose in his head and was an adrenaline junkie. To stop – _or minimize_ \- his suicidal stunts they introduced him to boxing so that he could channel all that pent up energy into productive exercising and violence rather than on his morbidly suicidal stunts, and surprisingly, it worked. They had never been more thankful to the strange man that lived two streets away at Kawahira Realtors shop for suggesting it to them. _That man was definitely a lifesaver!_

After realizing that _no, he wasn't a ship anymore_ , and _yes, he would definitely die if he somehow breaks his limbs or bones_ , Ryohei didn't know if he was relieved or disappointed. Relieved, that he was a fleshling – _err, human?_ \- just like his fellow pirates, but disappointed, because he wasn't with them anymore. And that's blasphemy because he's their ship, their vessel! He's supposed to be with them in every step of their journey and help them reach wherever they want to go! He's supposed to stay with them, and help them! He's supposed to be a Straw Hat! So what was he doing here in goddamn Namimori in flesh- _human_ form with none of his humans in sight?!

…If he was in human form that does it mean that he died? Did _they_ die? He had heard about his predecessor –Merry Go- who had turned into Klaubbertman to repair itself in their final moments so as to accompany their crew for some more time. He had vowed in the memory of their predecessor that he would be the one to accomplish what Merry hadn't been able to accomplish themselves, and take their beloved crew to Raftel and make their Captain – _Monkey D. Luffy_ \- the King of Pirates.

… _.Had he failed?_

.

.

.

 _He had, hadn't he?_

That realization had been a huge blow to him. He had failed his crew, failed his predecessor, failed his very _creator_ who had created him with the idea that he'd set sail with the next King of Pirates and would help them reach their goal, One Piece. As the ship of the Straw Hat Pirates, he couldn't even take them to the end of their journey, and had instead perished before even they had fulfilled their dreams. If the Straw Hat Pirates do not exist anymore, what is the use of Sunny-Go himself?

 _After all, what was a ship without his beloved crew?_

* * *

The thought of them being dead was too much for him. But the mere idea that their death was his fault was enough to break him into pieces. He tried, oh he tried _so_ much to keep himself together, but the thoughts never left his mind, and they made his guilt and despair even heavier. In the end, to rid himself from pain he started to tell himself that it was all his imagination, that the people who had died because of him were not real people. It was just his overactive imagination.

(It was not.)

It didn't work as much as he had wanted it to. The despair and guilt was too much for a five year old's mind and he soon succumbed to depression.

It was Kyoko who brought him out of his depression – _which had baffled (as well as worried) his parents, because how come their adrenaline filled EXTREME son suddenly turned quiet and sad?!_ His little sister –who was just three at that time would follow him everywhere, ask him to play "dollies" with him – _and he would have to give in to her watery eyes and adorable pout_. She would demand him to tell her stories. His stories were the best, she said. She likes hearing about the rubber-y pirate, she said. She liked the crew and their mischiefs, she said.

"Stop it, Kyoko!" He had once yelled at her when it became too much for him – _because they're_ _ **deaddeaddeadEADDEAD**_ _, he had failed them, and how could she just rub salt on his wound again and again by asking about them? Can she not see how much it hurt him to even think about them?!_ "They're not real! Why do you want to hear about people who aren't even real?!"

Kyoko had burst into tears at his scathing yells and had screamed back at him, "Onii-chan is a big meanie! I don't like you!" She sobbed and shouted at him, "They are your friends, aren't they? How can you just say that they are not real?! Bad Onii-chan! You're a big, BIG meanie!"  
Ryohei couldn't help but stare at his little sister with wide eyes as she cried and threw a tantrum. Somehow her words had pierced through the walls of self-doubt, guilt and regret that he had built around his heart, leaving behind the yearning and love he had for his crew. Why did it matter if they weren't physically here with him? Their dreams, their hopes, their love was still imprinted deep in his heart. The memories of the time spent by their side, as their beloved ship would always remain with him. Even if they're dead, at least he's still alive, right?! He can't make a mockery of their memories, their dreams, their love and hope by giving up so soon! He would live for them!

He was a **Straw Hat** , after all! And Straw Hats were anything but a _quitter!_

* * *

With that realization, Ryohei felt as if a huge burden had been relieved from his shoulders. The guilt and depression that seemed to be plaguing him till now had been washed away, leaving only an EXTREME zeal to live his life to the fullest.

( _But what's the need for the Sun to shine so brightly, when there's no Sky to be illuminated with it's brightness?_ )

He tried to make friends, which never went well because normal children usually ran away from him or burst into tears since they couldn't handle his exuberance. The grown-ups thought that he was just loud and annoying. He tried to make friends with the older kids -preteens and teenagers respectively, which somehow usually escalated to violence. It always made Kyoko cry because somehow he would end up with a few scratches and wounds, making her fret. No matter how much he tried to reassure her that " _it's fine"_ and " _You should've seen the other guys, they ended up in EXTREMELY worse shape than me!"_ but she never took it seriously. She thought he was just trying to comfort her by telling her white lies. It frustrated him to no end when she didn't believe him. He wasn't lying! She always thought that he ended up worse among the scuffles between him and the middle schoolers.

( _Pft~ As if a King's Ship would be defeated my mere kids._ )

Ryohei was at a loss of what to do with his worrywart sister. He never had a sibling before - _did Merry Count? But Merry was more of his senpai-slash-predecessor than a sibling, and it's not like he had actually met them to confirm their relationship._ While it was endearing how much she cared for him, her concerns were still somewhat restricting to his violent impulses that seemed to have carried from his past life - _he didn't have his Gao cannon or missiles or docking abilities in this life, the only thing he can use to protect himself and his precious people were his fists_. But when she stared at him with her tear-filled eyes and made him promise to not get in trouble any more, he couldn't help but falter before her.

(He loved Kyoko. Ryohei- _Sunny-_ loved his little sister so much.

He might not have had a sister before, but he was glad that he had one now. Having a loving little sister was a novelty he was sure he'd never grow out of.

In a world without his crew - _his everything_ \- where he was nothing more than a ship without sails that is lost at the sea, Kyoko was like the anchor that made sure he doesn't go astray.)

He promised her not to fight, to restrain his fighting spirit so as not to worry her. He promised to never throw the first punch, or incite any fight. He tried his best to to get dragged into any scuffles, but sometimes, fighting was just unavoidable.

Oh well, what Kyoko didn't know wouldn't hurt her.

… _.or so he thought._

* * *

Sasagawa Ryohei felt his blood freeze the day Kyoko came back with scratches and bruises scattered along her body. Her knees were bleeding; there were scratches on her shoulders - _are those marks of fingernails?!_ ; her clothes were dirtied and somewhat torn, there were red-rims around her eyes and dried tear tracks on her cheeks indicating that she had been crying. Just when he was about to give in to the _hot_ , EXRTREMELY _burning_ rage bubbling inside him and slaughtering the bastards who dared to hurt _his seven year old sister_ , something stopped him. The only thing that halted him in his warpath was a smile. _Kyoko's smile_. For some reason, Kyoko was smiling even after being hurt like this.

There was a sparkle in her eyes as his little sister grinned with the brightness that would rival even the sun. She walked with her head held high and a skip in her steps. For once, he was stupefied as he watched his wounded, but still spirited sister walk towards him and grabbed his hands with her slightly smaller ones.

"Onii-chan~" She exclaimed in a sing-song voice, "I made a really awesome friend today!"

Ryohei watched her sister ramble on and on with a bright grin on her face.

"Tsuna-kun is amazing, Onii-chan!" Kyoko gushed. "He looks so small and weak, yet he still defeated middle schooler kids with ease! He was so EXTREMELY cool!"She unconsciously used Ryohei's catchphrase as she excitedly recounted to him the events that took place today. "-and then he said, ' _Don't hurt her or I'll kick your ass!'_ And then he really beat them up!"

"Tsuna-kun is really, really strong!" She declared as she punched, "His punch was like a pistol!"

His heart stopped for a moment, and then started beating even faster in his chest. Her words echoed in his head, and even though he knew he shouldn't get worked up over it -she meant it metaphorically, didn't she? She couldn't possibly have met _him-_! _That's impossible-_

But still-!

"...What did you say?"

* * *

Ryohei knew he shouldn't get his hopes up -after all what were the odds that the guy Kyoko had been talking about would be his (former) Captain? But still, something deep inside him perked up at the thoughts of not being the only one in this bizarre world, of repenting for his past sin of not fulfilling his duty of taking his crew to Raftel. There was a conspiratorial whisper in his ears - _like the devil itself_ \- saying that if he was here and could remember his memories of previous life, then there might be other people like him too. Ryojhei wanted to scold himself for getting his hopes up like that just because of a silly comment from his sister, but-

-but what if it's true? What if it's _him_?

What if it's Luffy?

He tossed and turned the whole night, unable to get a wink of sleep with his hopeful thoughts and ideas conflicting with the cold reality he was trying to ground himself with. In the end, he decided to approach Sawada Tsunayoshi and figure out if he's really his Captain or not. He had planned to corner the boy after school and then bluntly as if he was Monkey D. Luffy. He could wait, of course he could-

…..Nope, he couldn't't. After all, patience was something Ryohei was EXTREMEY unfamiliar with.

So, by the time Ryohei knew what he was actually doing, he found himself standing in front of Sawada's front doors at the crack of dawn in the midst of his morning jog, and asked Sawada's Mother if he could meet with Tsunayoshi. The older woman was delighted at having a friend of her son coming for a visit the first thing in the morning - _for some reason, Ryohei felt that this woman was EXTREMELY like his little sister, how strange_. It took a while before Tsuna came down himself to meet him.

The moment sawada Tsunayoshi appeared before his eyes, Ryohei felt his breath hitch. It was strange. sawada Tsunayoshi was a fluffy brown haired boy with wide eyes and a small, skinny body. He looked so different from Monkey D. Luffy, his Captain. and yet-

As the first rays of the rising sun fell over them, and coincidentally illuminated the brunette before his eyes, Ryohei swore he saw the brunette's eyes flash orange for a moment. For a single second, he sensed an overbearing aura of an Emperor, a Conqueror - _a D_.- from the brunette. And then, with the blink of an eye, just like that, it disappeared. It was as if Ryohei had imagined it all.

Except, it wasn't his imagination. Ryohei _knew_ that something had happened at that very moment, that he got a glimpse of something wondrous and awe-inspiring with his very eyes. It was something -no, some _one_ \- he has been searching for relentlessly for the past eight years of his life.

His Emperor. His King. His Captain.

Monkey D. Luffy.

The man who was destined to be the Pirate King.

A bright smile broke out of his lips as he exclaimed, "I knew you were an EXTREME guy, Sawada! As expected of my Captain!"

* * *

.

.

.

Hibari Kyoya was glad that they had found another member of their lost crew - _well, crew was a very loose term to describe what Sunny actually was to them, but well, it was the thought that counts right?_ While it truly was fascinating to have Sunny as an actual human beside them, _why_ did his personality turn out to be an unholy combination of Franky's exuberance and Luffy's stupidity?! What sins did he do in his past life to have to deal with these two idiots -plus the peanut gallery _, yes he did notice the cheery orange haired girl that followed the other two guys like a lost puppy, as well as her grumpy black haired friend who was with her just for the heck of it_.

 _Sigh._

Hibari Kyoya just wanted peace. Was that too much to ask?

Even if they have to gather just to mess around, why did they have to do it near him? More specifically, why did they have to crowd around at his napping spot on the school's terrace?!

"-and then?!" Kyoko asked eagerly. "What happened when the Mermaid Princess called for your help to save her brothers?!"

"Then I punched the shit out of Hordy!" Tsuna announced proudly while picking his nose.

"Yeah! That was so EXTREME!" Ryohei fist-pumped.

Kurokawa Hana sighed. "You are one hell of a storyteller, Sawada. While I do admit that the story is interesting-" Her eyes glinted dangerously as she screeched, "Just stop picking your nose, _you damn Monkey! IT'S DISGUSTING!_ "

"Waah~ Hana you're so mean!" Tsuna complained.

Kyoko giggled in the background as she watched Hana try - _and failed_ \- to throttle Tsuna-kun to death. "They're such good friends!"

Ryohei cheered in the background. " _EXTREME FRIENDSHIP!"_

"For disturbing Namimori's peace, _I'll bite you to death!_ " Hibari hissed as he descended upon them in a fit of violence with his tonfas out. The peanut gallery scrambled back while Tsuna laughed and teased Kyoya as Ryohei eagerly jumped in front of Hibari to fight with him.

All in all, it was a good day.


End file.
